KEENE STATE PARKING REVENUE SURPASSES $500k

Keene State has collected more than $500,000 in parking-related revenue since July 1, according to Director of Campus Safety and Compliance Chris Buckley.

From July 1 to the present, the college reported $456,000 in parking permit sales and $46,315 in parking citations issued. Of those citations, $25,322 have been paid.

According to Buckley, parking revenue is directed back to the college’s parking budget, which operates as an auxiliary budget. This means that parking permits and citation fines are what fund all parking-related services on campus.

Parking revenue helps support a variety of services, including snow removal, surveillance camera systems, parking lot repair, maintenance/supplies and wages for parking student workers. The funding also contributes to around 20% of KSC Campus Safety officers’ salaries, reflecting the time officers spend patrolling and addressing parking-related issues, according to Buckley.

He stated that the primary purpose of parking citations is to encourage students to follow campus parking policies.

“Students who receive residential parking permits pay a premium for those spaces, and citations help ensure those spots remain available to permit holders,” Buckley wrote in an email.

He added citations help ensure roadways, intersections, fire lanes and pedestrian crossings remain clear.

Davis Linzell, a junior studying architecture who has a permit in the Madison lot, said his experience with parking has generally been positive.

“It’s been pretty good. I’ve always had an open spot and it’s right next to Holloway, which is where I live,” Linzell said. “There’s only been one time where I couldn’t find a spot in that lot because other people were parking there, but other than that I’ve been able to park in the spot I want.”

Linzell said he thinks parking permits are a little expensive, noting that residential parking permits can cost several hundred dollars depending on the lot.

“It’s a little high, especially for the Winchester Lot, which is really far away from where students are housed and availability can be tricky. But the price kind of reflects the availability–if it were more expensive, maybe fewer people would be in that lot, and if it were cheaper, it might be filled up.”

Reacting to the overall parking revenue numbers, Linzell said he feels the college should be more flexible with citations.

“Some of the tickets are a pretty steep price, especially for students already paying a lot for tuition,” he said. “It feels kind of like stabbing them in the back.”

Drew Avitabile, a sophomore accounting major with a parking permit in the Madison Street lot, said his overall experience has been positive as well.

“Overall, I think it’s pretty good. Usually, if I leave for a short amount of time, the spot I left is still there. Everyone parks normally; there’s no idiots that park,” Avitabile said.

He said while he understands why tickets exist and why enforcement is needed, he feels it can be inconsistent.

“I think it’s a little high. I feel like they can be better with how strict they are and when they do rounds to issue citations,” Avitabile said.

Reflecting on the cost of parking permits and the use of revenue, he said, “I feel weird because that’s a lot of money going back to a non-important cause. I feel like campus safety has never helped me. They don’t do anything. They don’t deserve all that 20%, and they ticket when they want to.”

According to Buckley, there have been no recent changes to parking enforcement practices or how parking revenue is allocated.